"Enemies" building, painting for peace -- picturing

our shared future around Earth

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

"Live out of your imagination, not your history." 

--Stephen Covey

Change -- imagination and innovation -- has mostly been a bottom-up process.
  Positively directing history comes from exchanges of goods and ideas of entrepreneurial tinkerers.
     Thus concludes "the rational optimist" Dr. Matt Ridley, zoologist and former editor of The Economist.
     Ridley reveals a grand unified synthesis of human history from the Stone Age to the better era we are inventing together.

The Rational Optimist

by Matt Ridley

Harper, May 2010, 448 pages

http://www.rationaloptimist.com/

     Phoenician merchants sailing the Mediterranean were criticized by Hebrew prophets like Isaiah and Greek intellectuals like Homer.
     But trading networks enabled the ancient Greeks to develop their alphabet, mathematics and science, and later fostered innovation in the trading hubs from Europe through India to China.
Human history's greatest theme is the trading of goods, services and, most important, knowledge, creating a collective intelligence.
     Ridley reminds us: Ten individuals could know between them ten things, while each understanding one.
With ideas spreading faster than ever on the Internet, Dr. Ridley expects bottom-up innovators to prevail.
READ a fuller review:

Doomsayers Beware, a Bright Future Beckons

by John Tierney

The New York Times -- May 17, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/science/18tier.html?ref=science

     Below are stories of new traders of ideas, services, and visions.
     The new co-operators.
     Rational optimists.
Cultural creatives.


                        - L&L



= = 1 = =
Painting for Peace
in Bethlehem & New Haven

We Refuse to be Enemies says the huge 48-by-14 foot mural now posted since May 3rd on Interstate Highway 95 in West Haven, Connecticut.
     Sunday, April 25th, 2010, over 100 citizens from local mosques, synagogues, and churches creatively, collectively painted the peace mural billboard.
     Participating with them was a former Israeli soldier and former Palestinian fighter.
The message is being seen by 100,000 travelers each day.
     The diverse neighbors demonstrated that Muslims, Jews, Christians and others can work together for peace.
PAINTING FOR PEACE -- http://iwagepeace.org/PaintingOnTheGreen.html -- adults and youth said in harmony: "We paint these signs before you today as a public demonstration of our commitment to peace, health, and justice for the Israeli and Palestinian people."  
     This is one of many public displays of solidarity among the faith traditions.
     Project creator Bruce A. Barrett is at Painting@IWagePeace.Org and 203-710-5675.
READ personal reflections of participants at http://iwagepeace.org/BFBDownloads/ReflectionsOnPFP.pdf
To help you create a billboard project where you live is the illustrated:

PAINTING FOR PEACE Toolbox

Step-by-step 6-page, how-to guide

http://iwagepeace.org/BFBDownloads/ToolBoxPaintingForPeace.pdf

VIEW VIDEO of the television news report:

Painting for Peace on the New Haven Green

WTNH-TV Channel 8 News broadcast

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/community/%27painting-for-peace%27-on-new-haven-green

     The artist-peacebuilders also hosted a documentary film, The Billboard from Bethlehem --  http://www.iwagepeace.org/HostTheFilm.html
VIEW the film's trailer:

The Billboard from Bethlehem

1-minute trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzGhijN8y0M

= = 2 = =
Building Homes
in Eastside Seattle

Together We Build A World Community -- http://www.togetherwebuild.org/ -- was the post-9/11 response of Eastside Seattle, Washington Eastside Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
     They gathered at Bellevue's Downtown Park and together prayed of unity, of cooperation and of efforts to build a better world beginning where they live.
     They formed a coalition unprecedented in the Pacific Northwest to build homes each September for East King County Habitat for Humanity, the international nonprofit housing organization.

     In 2010, Together We Build is in its 9th consecutive year of multi-faith team construction, with more than 20 volunteers working on the houses at all times during the one-week annual home-building.
WATCH ALL 5 SHORT VIDEOS -- a how-to, inspiring  archival film collection of TV news coverage:

Together We Build

Five TV news videos

http://www.togetherwebuild.org/news.html

     These citizen-leaders say: "The future belongs to those who are willing to take the first step. . .to show the world that together, we can build a stronger community."
     Their vision reminds themselves: "If we do this right, it is our deepest hope that others will follow."
     And others have.

     Born was the Annual Interfaith Leadership Summit at Camp Brotherhood -- http://campbrotherhood.com/ -- founded in 1968 by Rabbi Raphael Levine and Father William Treacy.
     A further offshoot, now in its eighth year, is the Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach (NICO) -- http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/group/nicocan/forum/topics/welcome-to-nico-cans
     NICO is the interspiritual extension of the now-umbrella Compassionate Action Network -- http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/
     This is an exemplary model of successful social change -- beginning small, always balancing outreach with spiritual depth of participants creating a maturing, inclusive community.
     For more information, contact Phil Gerson in Richmond, Washington at 425-898-0836 or PGerson_8@msn.com.


= = 3 = =
Building an Orphanage
in Myanmar

Earlier in 2010 -- http://traubman.igc.org/messages/607.htm -- were photos of relationship builders in Nigeria, Africa, using the two first DVDs of Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue.

Nigeria 2010:

New Interfaith Dialogue

February, 2010

http://traubman.igc.org/nigeriadialogue.pdf

Dialogue has also spread to Asia.
     In April 2008, educator Mg Hla Myo Naing in Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma), first found the Living Room Dialogue on the Internet. 
     He corresponded vigorously, downloaded facilitation ideas, and received DVDs and how-to materials by airmail.
In May 2010, the teacher wrote:

"Like you did in the movies you sent to me, I am 95% starting to work on it.

Please have a good see of how they are at around 7.pm before the building of orphanage.

Yes sure!!!They are  really telling their personal stories like from your DVDs.

I am trying to apply all from your DVDs thru my creativity to suitability of my community!"

     Using the models from the PEACEMAKERS video, and from DIALOGUE AT WASHINGTON HIGH, he is teaching English using face-to-face engagement.
SEE PHOTOS:

Myanmar 2010:

New Asian Dialogue

May, 2010

http://traubman.igc.org/myanmardialogue.pdf

     Beyond the Middle East and North America, each successful step together in the public peace process is spreading around Earth.


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These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm